Elicit vs Perplexity
Two of the most-asked-about agents in the research space. Here's how they actually stack up.
Elicit
AI research assistant for academic literature with citation-grounded answers
Free + $12/mo
Read full review →Perplexity
AI search engine with citations and an agentic browser layer
Free + $20/mo
Read full review →Side-by-side comparison
| Elicit | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | AI research assistant for academic literature with citation-grounded answers | AI search engine with citations and an agentic browser layer |
| Pricing | Free + $12/mo | Free + $20/mo |
| Categories | research, academic, search | search, research, browser-agent |
| Made by | Elicit | Perplexity AI |
| Launched | 2018 | 2022-12 |
| Platforms | Web | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Status | active | active |
Elicit highlights
- + Search across 125 million academic papers with semantic understanding
- + Extracted data tables that pull specific columns across dozens of studies simultaneously
- + Systematic review workflows with PRISMA-compatible screening and filtering
- + Citation-grounded answers that link every claim back to the source paper
- + Notebooks for organizing multi-session literature reviews with saved searches
Perplexity highlights
- + Citation-first answers with numbered source links on every response
- + Multi-model picker supporting Claude, GPT-5, Gemini 3, and Perplexity Sonar
- + Spaces for organizing research into shared collections
- + Pages for publishing AI-generated reports as shareable documents
- + Perplexity Comet agentic browser with web automation and task execution
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Elicit or Perplexity?
Neither is universally better. Elicit (Free + $12/mo) leans into research, while Perplexity (Free + $20/mo) is closer to search. Pick based on which workflow you actually do every day.
What is the price difference between Elicit and Perplexity?
Elicit is free + $12/mo. Perplexity is free + $20/mo. See the pricing row in the comparison table.
Can I use Elicit and Perplexity together?
In most cases, yes. They serve overlapping but distinct needs, so running them side by side is common until you decide which fits your workflow.